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Justin was confused.

After weeks of utter failure, he had finally succeeded in joining with the animal inside him. And he had never felt better. It was like his senses had been kicked into overdrive; his eyes could penetrate the thickest of fogs, he could pick up the scent of his mother's cooking when blocks away from home, and his ears could pick out the chirp and caw of a nest of hungry birds that was miles away. And the nightmares had stopped, too.

But his link to Alex was still broken., and he had no idea why. Justin wanted answers, but no matter how hard he prayed, Max would not come to him.

Alex was worried. Justin had done what Max had said, but their link was still gone. And not only did that worry Alex, it scared her as well, though she would never admit that to anyone. She and Justin had been connected for years, and now that the connection was broken, it was like Justin was gone. Just gone. Like she'd taken a pencil and erased Justin from her inside completely, leaving nothing but his impression behind.

Alex knew that was stupid, especially when she could still see Justin. She could still feel his hand when he held hers, his lips when they kissed, and the strength of his embrace when they hugged. But she couldn't help how she felt: it was as though she'd lost something important, and she knew she would never get it back.

At the moment, Alex was flipping through her magic journal. While it was no longer a portal to the fantasy world, it now had other uses. It now served as window of sorts. The book depicted all their travels and adventures in the fantasy world, like a book of memories. Once the journal's new function was discovered, Justin spelled it so the pages would appear blank if anyone but the two of them tried to read it.

One picture in particular caught Alex's eye.

The princess was sitting at the base of a ruined tower, crying. Justin was there too, holding her, comforting her.

The scene made Alex smile. She realized then that Justin had always her knight, long before he ever wore the armor.

And long before the mind link...

Her smile grew.

Alex crawled in next to her brother. They had been sleeping in the same room since the link had broken, in an attempt to remain close. She felt Justin's muscles relax after pulling her close.

She turned to face him.

"Justin," she began. "You don't have to worry about losing me."

Justin began to say something, but Alex cut him off.

"I know what you've been feeling...because I've been feeling it too. That emptiness inside, like a part of me is missing. I'm telling you not to worry because I realized something today.

"You and I got along fine without the mind link, and we can do it again. We can get through this, survive this."

"How?" Justin whispered.

"The same way a normal couple would," Alex replied, taking Justin's hand. "With two minds...and one heart."

And for the first time in months, Justin dreamed a pleasant dream.

He knelt before the altar, paying homage to the pentagram inscribed within a circle, two points up, three points down: the emblem of his order, the crest of his master.

It has happened, Malakai thought to himself. A Hound has been born...but the transformation is not complete: the souls have not bonded. Now is the time to strike.

Thunder roared in the distance, as Heaven itself protested.

Another Russo... Malakai thought with disdain. Power seems to run rampant in that family...

...but it matters not.

He unsheathed a gleaming katana and held it before him, as if he were holding out an offering.

The Hound shall fall by my blade nonetheless.